Former Indian Cricketer Aakash Chopra has ssid that Shreyas Iyer’s choice to take a six-month break from red-ball cricket could significantly affect his BCCI central contract. Chopra added that Iyer might face challenges in securing a spot in the Test squad on his return.

Shreyas had been in contention for the upcoming Test series against the West Indies, but he opted out of India’s unofficial Test against Australia A. The BCCI confirmed that Iyer cited ongoing back issues as the reason for taking a sabbatical from the longer format.
“Shreyas Iyer has mentioned that he wants to take a break. It’s quite interesting since he already had a six-month break. He is dealing with back pain again. He had this issue earlier as well and even underwent surgery,” Chopra said on YouTube.

“What impact will this have? The situation is similar to Karun Nair’s—whoever gets the chance will look to secure their spot, which makes it harder for him to get selected. Also, I believe there could be an issue with his central contract, as he is still limited to just one format. He hasn’t featured in T20Is and currently plays only ODIs, so he is likely to remain in the lower bracket of the contracts,” he added.

Chopra highlighted that Shreyas Iyer’s appointment as India A captain for the unofficial Tests clearly suggested he was in contention for the West Indies series. However, recent events could make it extremely challenging for him to regain a spot in the Test squad.

“It’s a difficult decision, but he has made it. First, he was dropped from the side, then skipped Ranji matches, and eventually lost his central contract. Later, he returned, featured in Ranji, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and even the IPL final. When he was appointed captain of India A in the longer format, it clearly signalled that the focus was on Test cricket,” he mentioned.

“If he had featured against the West Indies, South Africa, and then Sri Lanka, he could have performed exceptionally and possibly secured his place. But if his back isn’t holding up, there’s nothing you or I can do,” Chopra concluded.